Betrayal's Gift

Chapter Twenty

Delilah heard a whispering wind blow by her and tilted her head. It whispered through the trees and sighed over the ground. It was a warm sunny wind. One you would expect on a summer day in Hawaii, not a winter night in the mountains. She stopped, suddenly aware of the silence of the animals around her.

A blinding light flashed and Delilah blinked furiously trying to clear her gaze.

"Why do you seek to help Julius?" A melodic female voice drifted to her and Delilah looked up and seen her. She was beautiful, impossibly so. Her golden beauty made everything around her pale.

Her shining hair trailed down to her waist and her golden eyes flashed warmly.

"What could you possibly want him for?"

Her eyes sharpened and Delilah was able to shake off the entrancement. She could see now the madness in the eyes of the sorceress in front of her. It was clear that's who this was. Who else would try to stop her from saving Julius? "Do you wish to have both of the brothers at your beck and call? I must admit that thought is intriguing to say the least. Why didn't I think of that?"

For a moment, she looked briefly distracted, then noticed Delilah looking at her strangely. "You don't seem to have the courage to take them both. They are strong men, in every sense of the word." she purred in a sultry voice "It's already been proven that you can't stand up to him, hasn't it? How do you expect to handle both of them?"

Delilah ignored the sting of truth and faced her with the stubbornness that had gotten her this far in life.

"I'm not the only one who couldn't handle both of them, now am I? I at least can keep one without using enchantments."

Torrielei shrieked in outrage as she lost her beautiful glow and began to look like the spoiled child she had always been. Delilah backed up a step and looked contrite. At her apologetic look, Torrielei began to calm down, falling for the innocent look as so many others did on a daily basis. She was young in the ways of magic. She knew no better.

"You're a stronger sorceress than I am correct?" Delilah said innocently. Torrielei tossed her blonde hair with an arrogant flip regaining her composure.

"Of course."

"More advanced, more powerful, just more." Delilah said still smiling.

"I am. Of course I've had more time to study." she allowed graciously.

"Then why do you think that I would be able to defeat a much older sorceress at her own game? I'm flattered." The sorceress shrieked enraged and began to mutter spells and incantations at a rapid rate.

Delilah backed up another step and took a deep breath, mind racing.

"What is your name?" she asked. The sorceress stopped and looked at her eyes glowing.

"My name is Torrielei, daughter of Apollo god of the sun and his priestess."

"You're the daughter of a god?"

The impressed sound of her awed voice flattered Torrielei's ego and she smiled beautifully, anger forgotten. Youth was often foolish. She had never been but others often were.

"Yes, I am."

"That explains everything." Delilah said, in a mock awed voice. "Why are you so fascinated with Julius?"

"Why, because he's my mate of course. What else do you do with a mate but control them?"

"Love them?" Delilah ventured. The sorceress' face went childishly pouty at Delilah's response.